An example of the contrast between TCM & Western approaches

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Let's say that a person comes in with the following complaints: The person

feels cold most of the time and has trouble warming up. The complexion is pale

with signs of edema. The person also feels tired all the time. Movements and

speech are slow. Reflexes and pulse are slow. The person complains of having to

go to the bathroom a lot, and the urine is clear. Yet, the person has an

adversion to drinking liquids, especially cold liquids. The only liquids this

person likes are hot soups. The person may go hours between having anything to

drink, and then only sips and prefers water or soft drinks at room temperature.

There is constipation, or to be more exact, colonic inertia. The tongue is pale,

maybe a little swollen. The hair doesn't look too healthy and vibrant.

 

Most Western doctors will order a thyroid test to test for hypothyroidism

because of what some of these symptoms suggest. Many would not be too concerned

over the possibility of diabetes because even though this person is going to the

bathroom a lot, the person isn't excessively thirsty. In fact, the person has an

adversion to drinking anything but hot liquids, and then infrequently. So most

physicians will ignore the part about going to the bathroom a lot. Most

physicians will ignore the part about the adversion to drinking liquids because

they're trained to be concerned if thirst is excessive but not if it's

deficient. Some doctors will chalk these " meaningless " symptoms up to

psychological problems.

 

In this particular case the thyroid test comes back in the low normal range.

Certainly not enough to account for the symptoms suggesting hypothyroidism. At

this point many physicians will chalk this one up to psychological problems and

just ignore what the person is reporting because it doesn't fit anything in

Western medicine that a lab test exists for that they're aware of.

 

A person trained to recognize TCM syndromes will not. In fact, this one is an

easy call. All these symptoms except constipation are text book Yang Deficiency

symptoms. The very knowledgeable TCM healer knows that even the constipation

can be a symptom of Yang Deficiency, and is called Yang Deficiency Constipation.

 

The treatments involve warming the person with warming herbs and tonifying the

Yang with Yang tonics.

 

Doctors see patients like this. The person comes in with many of the symptoms

of hypothyroidism, but the thyroid tests usually are in the low normal range or

even the mid-normal range in some cases. In other cases the thyroid test may

come back in the below normal range. Thyroid replacement is prescribed. In these

" odd " cases, the thyroid replacement helps the fatigue, slowness, and some of

the other symptoms some, but doesn't clear them up completely. They can still be

rather severe though improved some. In many of these cases there is an

underlying Yang Deficiency that needs to be addressed, in particular a Kidney

Yang Deficiency and probably a Spleen Yang Deficiency also. Just addressing the

manifestation of the hypothyroidism is not going to be enough in some of these

particular cases.

 

These odd cases of the person having some symptoms of hypothyroidism though the

lab tests are in the normal range or the hypothyroidism that doesn't fully

respond to replacement therapy are most likely to crop up in patients who have

CFIDS and/or Multiple Chemical Sensitivity though they can turn up in others. I

also want to point out that CFIDS usually is a lot more than just Yang

Deficiency. There may also be some Latent Heat, Damp Heat, Qi Deficiency,

and/or Blood Deficiency problems in CFIDS patients as well as Yang Deficiency

problems. There may also be other problems as well, and there is multiple

meridian/ organ system involvement (usually the Liver, Spleen, Kidneys, and

Heart though other systems may also be involved).

 

BTW, Kidney Yang Deficiency problems can take a long time to correct, especially

when they have gone on for years or decades.

 

Victoria

 

 

 

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